Something For The Nursery (IF it's a Boy!) :

Today I got the baby some really sweet wooden cars that I just died over.

I'm imagining how seriously cute they would look on a shelf in his room (If it's a boy).

Conrad loved them too.

He made sure they worked properly and gave them a solid test drive.

(What a good big brother...)

How BIG does he look with his new hair cut? He's such a big man now.

Those perfect pink lips of his. Oh-eem-gee. Love them.

The picture below, I could die.

Those little lips making the "VROOOOM VROOM!" sound made my heart skip a beat.

In this picture, his face is all, "Um, Mom, please stop taking pictures. I'm trying to have fun here and you're totally wrecking the mood with your dumb little camera.....It's totally annoying."

I'm such a buzz kill.

I mean, I could ALWAYS paint them pink and put them in a girls room.....

Either way. I'm OB-sessed with them. They're so sweet and cute. Imagining Conrad showing his little brother how to make the cars go "vroom-vroom" gets me all teary eyed.

I'm pushing the tears down and swallowing the lump in my throat as you read......

I'm so over the moon-excited & happy.

(Click -----> to see baby Bump progression)

Bump Watch: Week 16

Click -------> {Week 11} to see the bump a few weeks ago.

{Photo Credits: Kacie}

Going THROUGH it with me

    Was reminded this week that because my God has promised never to leave me, in ALL situations whether hard or not, he is going through them with me, not watching me struggle through-but rather taking me through them, by his grace. I'm never alone. I forget how much he loves me so often. Why is it the dumb little truths like "God is always WITH US" that are so silly but so true and yet so hard to grasp and actually LIVE OUT when we're in a valley? Why do we drudge through life like we're knee deep in mud and struggle so much? We could just give our cares to Jesus, but we don't. Our pride gets in the way and we think we're big enough to manage our circumstances on our own. 

Oh, how wrong we are.

    I learned about a family who lost their baby a few days after he was born and it broke my heart (having heard about this while being pregnant, I can't imagine how bad that would hurt.) BUT I was reminded of how great God is-in us, that no problem or pain or trial is too big for him. We forget that we have a mighty god who cares for us, who walks through life with us. When I'm having a particularly hard day and feel like such an energy-less loser of a mother, I need to take a deep breath and focus on casting my anxieties on him instead of carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. 

(I'm so glad I have a friend who helps me refocus my heart. Thank you Sarah C.)

     I've felt super exhausted and on edge this week. I think the long days with a toddler sometimes weigh on me so heavily. I'm so thankful that my husband is going back to school to finish his masters, BUT it gets hard. We learned that his company laid off 100 people company wide this week and are feeling SO thankful that his job was spared. When I met his boss a few weeks ago he was telling me that Dustin does the job of three people and they can't afford to lose him. It makes me smile to know how valued he is. I treated myself (to a few pieces) of sushi last night while I watched Vampire Diaries. Then I practically ate a whole cucumber with sesame seed oil on it and then made myself an avocado salad. 

I can't get enough greens this week. It's all I've been wanting.

 I'm kind of feeling like his hair is starting to look like Harry's from Dumb and Dumber....

See the resemblance? 

He's getting his hair cut tomorrow.

 I think he's offended that I compared him to Jeff Daniel's. 

 I heard that small still voice tell me I needed to put these back when I was checking out, but I didn't listen and instead have been sneaking handfuls of them so my toddler wouldn't know what I was eating. 

The bag is nearly empty. The guilt is setting in.

 Yesterday was a crummy day. I was at my wits end and decided we needed to veg-out and watch Sponge Bob. Conrad decided it was pounce on Mommy's belly day. He thinks his sister/brother is a trampoline.  I don't get it. The kid wont stay off of my stomach!

 I scored this black and white dress for $10 this week and put a belt below my belly so people

 would know I was pregnant and not just chunky. 

 Thank  you Sponge Bob for helping me get some rest when my 2 year old is driving me nuts.

I'm going to the dentist today and couldn't be more excited about it. I LOVE the dentist. 

{Have a great weekend dolls.}

Weekly Surf:

A girl who knows how to rock vintage fashion

baby progression using fruits & veggies

photos of people & the things that define them

Loving this video staring Julia Robert's niece & James Franco's lil bro

super cute short cuts

sweet little stuffed creatures

how to recover a lampshade
a mom & baby with tons of style

radiohead's new album has been on replay all week at our house
    (did you know that the dance that thom yorke does in the video was choreographed? He's not making those weird ass dance moves up.)

drooling over the vintage touches in this home

I smiled after reading this blog post this week

the beauty of breast feeding here & here

Conrad snacked beneath my feet while I made some chocolate covered strawberries

for dessert one night. He was just too adorable, I couldn't NOT take his photo.

He melts my heart.

{Happy hump day.}

We could just pretend it's my birthday couldn't we?

Swim suit & denim shirt

Trench dress & color block dress

Tunic & floral leggings

I.am.Obsessed with the floral leggings and the swim suit. *Cough-cough.

Mom, That was your hint. I know it's maternity and all, so we "technically" can't share,

but I deserve it right?

Don't come between a woman and her food

This weekend I had a newborn session to shoot and right when I got home, we were leaving to go to my friends birthday party so I didn't have time time eat. We stopped off at Trader Joe's to get something quick from the frozen aisle and headed on over. As we were driving to the party, my stomach was growling louder and louder. The car ahead of us was putting along at a snails pace so I suggested Dustin just quickly cut the car off and get ahead of it so we could get there faster (So I could begin eating....) Sadly, He declined my suggestion. We got lost finding the house once we were in the development, which was making me less and less nice as the seconds slowly ticked by as my "overly cautious" husband drove like he was driving through a school zone....Or so it felt. Finally! FINALLY, we find the correct street, AND STILL grandpa Dustin, is driving 11 miles an hour! My stomach is growling even louder now. I'm so hungry I'm shaking, my head is pounding

AND on top of it, I have to pee! Awesome.

At this point, he's taking a Tally of who has been to traffic school, who has had multiple car accidents, who totalled their car, who has had the most speeding tickets.....

You guessed it.

Me.

Me: I don't care that you've never had a ticket or had an accident! Can you PLEASE drive faster for the love of god Dustin!

Dustin: We're in a residential! How fast do you want me to go?

Me: I don't know, it's late, can we just get there before the sun comes up?!

Dustin: Chelsea, I'm NOT going to speed in a residential OK. I'm sorry you're hungry. Maybe think about packing a snack next time.....

Me: DO YOU SEE ANY KIDS AROUND? Just get us there! Ugh! Next time, I'M DRIVING!

Dustin: If you were driving, the kids would already be under the car.

Thank God for his humor, which made me laugh and stop thinking about how hungry I was.

By the time we FINALLY got there, I was so hungry, I barely said hello to anyone, I tore open my burrito as fast as I could and ate it without breathing. It was delicious.

Us at breakfast this weekend:

This was the first photo Dustin took. He wasn't pleased that I wasn't smiling, so he forced me to smile (pictured above.) All I wanted to do was eat my breakfast wrap. That's all I wanted.

I think Conrad was annoyed that I was more concerned with getting that food down into my belly than the fact that he'd successfully placed a milk in his hippos mouth and wanted to show me.

When you're hungry (pregnant or not) It's so hard to be nice. My tongue is so much sharper and snappier when I'm hormonal and hungry. Maybe this is the baby's way of making sure it gets fed-it turns me into a raging witch! (Dustin does drive like a grandpa though. He's never once had a parking ticket or speeding ticket, or gotten into an accident but he drives like he's eighty.....so there's that!)

The three of us playing in Conrad's room & me showing off my

16 week bump + my food baby from breakfast!

The guys reading.

{I LOVE our weekends together.}

**Click HERE to see the sweet baby boy I got to photograph this weekend.

slugs and snails and puppy dog tails

That's what little boys are made of.

AND they're made of "nasty" kisses (kisses where right before you kiss your Mama, you stick your tongue out and slime her with it! Those are what we call "nasty" Kisses.) Only mommy gets those! I say, "Eeewwwww! Gross Conrad. Yuck!" When you give them. But deep down, My sweet boy, I love that you think you're so silly and clever to slime me just right before you kiss me. You're such a sly fox. 

I love how you roar like a lion, race your cars on the ground in such seriousness, and jump up and down in your car seat with such excitement when a fire truck drives past when we're driving. You chase birds with great intent of catching them and bringing them home as your new pet. I cherish the boy in you who slays dragons with empty wrapping paper rolls. I love that about you! I can only imagine how much joy it would bring my heart to see both of my boys wrestling and taking care of each other-

IF we have another boy! 

It would be OK by me.

 Today, I wore more of my hand-me-downs (Thank you Sofia!) I got to photograph a sweet baby boy today (which is why I put myself together and didn't show up without make up and in yoga pants as per the usual mommy-uniform!) I spent the evening with friends celebrating my dear friend (Dotty's) birthday. 

Today was a good day. (i didn't have to use my AK.)

Psalm 107:1   (Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So)

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for  his steadfast love endures forever!